One of the greatest attitudes a believer can have is the attitude of thanksgiving. Thanksgiving in the dictionary is: an expression of thanks, especially to God; a public celebration in acknowledgment of divine favor or kindness. Notice some key words: an expression of thanks; a public celebration. See, a heart being thankful to the Lord is something that should be seen and displayed in our lives; this is why thanksgiving should manifest in our attitudes.  

Psalms 107:1-4 says, Let everyone give all their praise and thanks to the Lord! Here’s why—He’s better than anyone could ever imagine. Yes, He’s always loving and kind, and His faithful love never ends. So, go ahead—let everyone know it! Tell the world how He broke through and delivered you from the power of darkness, and has gathered us together from all over the world. He has set us free to be His very own! He is talking to people who have had an experience with the Lord; he is talking to people who have a testimony. Although my testimony is what God did for me in the past, it should always be in the forefront of my mind and heart. This will keep us in the position of thanksgiving. We can see that those who are thankful are those who do not forget what the Lord has done for them. 

There should be a balance to our spiritual lives. Even though we walk by faith and we believe God to do awesome things in our future, we can’t get so far out that we forget what He has done for us already. I have seen this happen too many times. People believe for something to happen, and when it doesn’t happen in their time frame, they become ungrateful and dissatisfied with life. It seems like they were more grateful to God when they had less!

The Bible gives us a warning for this type of attitude. Deuteronomy 8:11-14 says, Beware that in your plenty you don’t forget the Lord your God and begin to disobey him. For when you have become full and prosperous and have built fine homes to live in, and when your flocks and herds have become very large, and your silver and gold have multiplied, that is the time to watch out that you don’t become proud and forget the Lord your God who brought you out of your slavery in the land of Egypt.  

This is amazing. How can we forget what God has done for us? Especially when our lives are loaded with His Goodness! What happens is we forget. We begin to become ungrateful, and this blinds us; we are not willing to give thanks, and we get to the place where nothing is ever good enough. Instead of looking for the good in things and people, you drift to the bad; and eventually, you begin to go backwards in your spiritual life.  

Sometimes we have to stop and count our blessings to regain the attitude of gratitude. Remember how good God has been in your life, and this will cause your spiritual life to go forward once again into new realms of His goodness. Church, let’s cultivate the attitude of thanksgiving and our spiritual lives will never be dull; it will be exciting and always advancing! 

And out of them shall proceed thanksgiving and the voice of them that make merry: and I will multiply them, and they shall not be few; I will also glorify them, and they shall not be small.

Jeremiah 30:19  

 September 20, 2020